lilscorpion
Well-known member
Over on my organization thread one poster commented "interested to know what you're going to do in the garage once you finish with the storage pieces...". Well I decided that some of my garage antics should probably be documented. When my wife tells the stories to her friends you know they don't appreciate them the way you guys will. This is the kind of **** that happens in my garage.
lilscorpion vs. Moen Faucet >>
A month or so ago I took apart the faucet to trouble shoot low pressure. While I had it apart, I found that one of the pieces was damaged however I just slammed it back together hoping for the best. As luck would have it, that piece terminated today. On dis-assembly I found pieces where a plastic clamp once existed. In this case it was the pivot point for the handle.
So there I was, wondering if I could find these parts locally or if I'd have to order direct from Moen. In a moment of irritation at how manufacturers use plastic for everything, I said "Screw it, I can make it better." I headed out to the shop to do what they should have done in the first place. I grabbed a piece of scrap 6601 I had in the drawer from a previous project which matched the width of the parts almost exactly and chucked it up in the vise. After a few measurements, away I went cutting the profile.
Like an idiot I went and got all fancy attempting to reproduce the parts exactly like they were cast. In this case I used a ball to radius the part to add strength - which was likely needed in plastic but yet likely not needed when made out of aluminum. Didn't matter, I did it anyway because I could.
I used the slitting saw I made for a previous project to cut the new parts off the stock. This saw is a 3.5-inch wood cutting blade I made an arbor for which works awesome as long as you don't feed it to quickly. A light feed and they are cleanly cut off.
With the two blanks made (top and bottom) I'm getting close.
I cut the top to the correct depth and, at the same time, face it to square up the saw cut.
The bottom ended up almost identical to the original piece and should last much longer.
Since I didn't have a small enough ball mill I had to do it another way. I clamped the two pieces sideways in the vise so I can machine a deep hole for the slot.
With the parts completed, it's time to re-assembly the handle assembly. Hard to believe they ever thought it was a good idea to make the part out of plastic...but it's cheap so I get it.
The base goes back on the valve stem and fits well.
Put the pivot arm on and then screw the top in place. It really grips the pivot arm unlike the factory one. Now there's no play in the handle and it even looks stout.
Re-attach the handle and we're back in business. 2 hours, no cost, and a lifetime that will outlast the valve (and maybe even the sink). When talking about it with my wife, I realized that after spending my afternoon, I had almost nothing to show for it. I guess I'll have to live with the accomplishment of it and the knowledge that if I sell the house, the next owner (or their plumber) will likely just throw it away not knowing what they're holding in their hand. What can you do.
I know it's right. I did it for me anyway.
lilscorpion vs. Moen Faucet >>
A month or so ago I took apart the faucet to trouble shoot low pressure. While I had it apart, I found that one of the pieces was damaged however I just slammed it back together hoping for the best. As luck would have it, that piece terminated today. On dis-assembly I found pieces where a plastic clamp once existed. In this case it was the pivot point for the handle.
So there I was, wondering if I could find these parts locally or if I'd have to order direct from Moen. In a moment of irritation at how manufacturers use plastic for everything, I said "Screw it, I can make it better." I headed out to the shop to do what they should have done in the first place. I grabbed a piece of scrap 6601 I had in the drawer from a previous project which matched the width of the parts almost exactly and chucked it up in the vise. After a few measurements, away I went cutting the profile.
Like an idiot I went and got all fancy attempting to reproduce the parts exactly like they were cast. In this case I used a ball to radius the part to add strength - which was likely needed in plastic but yet likely not needed when made out of aluminum. Didn't matter, I did it anyway because I could.
I used the slitting saw I made for a previous project to cut the new parts off the stock. This saw is a 3.5-inch wood cutting blade I made an arbor for which works awesome as long as you don't feed it to quickly. A light feed and they are cleanly cut off.
With the two blanks made (top and bottom) I'm getting close.
I cut the top to the correct depth and, at the same time, face it to square up the saw cut.
The bottom ended up almost identical to the original piece and should last much longer.
Since I didn't have a small enough ball mill I had to do it another way. I clamped the two pieces sideways in the vise so I can machine a deep hole for the slot.
With the parts completed, it's time to re-assembly the handle assembly. Hard to believe they ever thought it was a good idea to make the part out of plastic...but it's cheap so I get it.
The base goes back on the valve stem and fits well.
Put the pivot arm on and then screw the top in place. It really grips the pivot arm unlike the factory one. Now there's no play in the handle and it even looks stout.
Re-attach the handle and we're back in business. 2 hours, no cost, and a lifetime that will outlast the valve (and maybe even the sink). When talking about it with my wife, I realized that after spending my afternoon, I had almost nothing to show for it. I guess I'll have to live with the accomplishment of it and the knowledge that if I sell the house, the next owner (or their plumber) will likely just throw it away not knowing what they're holding in their hand. What can you do.
I know it's right. I did it for me anyway.
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